The present application is directed to improving the visual appearance of gas discharge lamps, and more particularly, to the elimination of visual striations which may occur in gas discharge lamps.
Generally, a gas discharge lamp will have an elongated gas-filled tube having electrodes at each end. A voltage between the electrodes accelerates movement of electrons. This causes the electrons to collide with gas atoms producing positive ions and additional electrons forming a gas plasma of positive and negative charge carriers. Electrons continue to stream toward the lamp's anode electrode and the positive ions toward its cathode electrode sustaining an electric discharge in the tube and further heating the electrodes. The electric discharge causes an emission of radiation having a wavelength dependent on the particular fill gas and the electrical parameters of the discharge.
A fluorescent lamp is a gas discharge lamp in which the inner surface of the tube is coated with a fluorescent phosphor. The phosphor is excited by the ultraviolet radiation from the electric discharge and fluoresces, providing visible light.
During operation of a gas discharge lamp, such as a fluorescent lamp, a phenomenon known as striations can occur. Striations are zones of light intensity, appearing as dark bands. This phenomenon can give a lamp an undesirable strobing effect. An example of the striation phenomenon is shown in FIG. 1, which depicts a linear fluorescent lamp 10. In one embodiment lamp 10 may employ Krypton (Kr) as a buffer gas to improve the efficacy of the lamp. In FIG. 1, lamp 10 has striation zones 12 which appear as the dark bands moving along the length of the lamp.
A variety of theories as to why striations occur have been set forth. For example, in U.S. Pat. No. 5,001,386 to Sullivan, it is stated that striations are believed to occur as a result of high-frequency currents re-enforcing a standing wave of varying charge distribution between the lamp electrodes.
Sullivan attempts to solve the striation problem by injecting a dc component superimposed on top of a driving ac current. A disadvantage to this technique, is the requirement that existing typical high-frequency ballasts in the marketplace must be removed and replaced with a unique ballast capable of injecting the dc bias component. Also, adding the dc bias may damage the lamp, by moving mercury in the lamp to one end, creating an unbalanced light output. It is also suggested that increasing the crest factor in a lamp lighting system will eliminate the visual striations. However, increasing the crest factor may also increase the stress on a lamp, which will lead to a shorter lamp life.
Another alternative was proposed by Kachmarik et al., U.S. Pat. No. 6,465,972 ('972) which provides an amplitude modulation circuit placed in operative connection with the lamp input line. The amplitude modulation circuit is configured to periodically modulate amplitudes of the lamp input signal prior to the lamp input signal being received by the gas discharge lamp. Operation of the amplitude modulation circuit results in a periodic amplitude modulation of the lamp current to eliminate visual striations otherwise occurring in the lamp.
Yet a further attempt to eliminate striations is proposed in U.S. application Ser. No. 09/681,994 (U.S. Publication No. 2003-0015970A1) to Nerone. In this application a ballast is designed to convert an AC system power source to a DC voltage on a DC bus included within the ballast circuit. An inverter circuit is provided in the ballast circuit in operative connection with the DC bus to generate an asymmetric alternating current on a lamp input line. A gas discharge lamp is in operative connection to the lamp input line, configured to receive an asymmetric alternating current, thereby eliminating visual striations occurring in the lamp.